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Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge

Portable Sawmill & Tree Service – Abingdon, VA

Side to side Slop in RAS

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Side to side Slop in RAS

#1

Side to side Slop in RAS

doug newton

Hello Group I have a Craftsman RAS 113.23100 and I have a 3/16" side to side slop on the blade at the maximum end of travel on the arm. I have an owners manual for this saw and according to the parts list there is a nylon plug that fits into the adjustment device on the column....unfortunately, this part is missing and is no longer available. Has anyone experienced this problem and what are your recommended solutions?

Thanks- Doug

PS- Surely someone sells nylon round stock that can be cut to insert into the adjustment device?

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

#2

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

Ralph Lipeles

eBay has lots of Nylon. Search under Nylon Bar Stock. Delrin will also do as well. Don't stop at the first one you see. There are a lot of pieces listed and prices vary quite a bit.

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

#3

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

Barry Irby

I have some black plastic rod scraps and I would be happy to send you a piece.

I would have to ask my son exactly what the plastic is but it's something like acetal or Delrin. Hard and machines nicely. I have pieces 3/4" In diameter and maybe 6" long.

There are smaller pieces also, maybe 3/8" diameter but I am not sure I have any.

Let me know if this would help.

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

#4

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

Mark Nowicki

I have a DeWalt RAS with some slack in the arm. I just followed the Jan Eakes advice:

Principle 3 -- Use of the End Point of Slack

"Slack always has an end point, use it."

When pulling, I also apply lateral force against the stop.

https://joneakes.com/learning-curve/75-radial-arm-saws#Excerpt

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

#5

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

John McGaw

I'd guess that nylon isn't even a requirement -- some Lignum vitae could probably be turned to the right size and would hold up well. It used to be used for the propeller shaft bearing blocks on large ships. Of course if you don't have any scraps of this particular wood hanging around nylon might be easier to find.

Re: Side to side Slop in RAS

#6

I've had that saw for 43 years

Tim Greif - West of Chicago

I bought that same model Craftsman saw new in 1977 and still use it regularly today. I may be one of the few people who still feel a RAS is a worthwhile tool to possess. The nylon plug you reference is only used to adjust the friction of the adjustment plug against the saw tube. The actual slop you need to eliminate is adjusted with the two set screws on the side of the column key which controls how much the key presses into the slot on the upper column. Once you have the slop (your left to right movement) eliminated, the nylon plug is adjusted against the inner tube slot (using the set screw at the back of the column key) to allow smooth up and down movement of the column and eliminate chatter. If it's missing, you should still be able to eliminate the slop with the two (left and right) set screws at the side of the column key. You just may have a less than smooth up and down movement of the column to change blade height. Hope this helps.

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